With more than one million page views and more than 4,000 items, this blog provides news and commentary on public policy, business and economic issues related to the $3 billion California stem cell agency, officially known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine(CIRM). David Jensen, a retired California newsman, has published this blog since January 2005. His email address is djensen@californiastemcellreport.com.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Here is the news release today from the California stem Cell agency on Trounson's resignation.

CIRM President Alan
Trounson To Step DownOctober 16, 2013 San Francisco, CA– Alan Trounson, PhD, has
announced he is going to step down as President of the stem cell
agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), in
order to spend more time with his family in Australia.

Dr. Trounson says the agency’s
governing Board, the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC),
has asked him, and he has agreed, to remain as President, while the
agency begins the search for a new President.

The agency is also discussing with Dr.
Trounson the possibility of him remaining affiliated with the agency
in a role to be determined.

“We have accelerated the development
of regenerative medicine, and I would love to continue at CIRM as
these advancements begin making a difference to patients with
debilitating injuries and disease. But the agency needs a full-time
President and I need to spend more time with my family. The two needs
are incompatible, so it is necessary for me to step down as
President. This was a very difficult decision to make,” says Dr.
Trounson. “I have loved working at CIRM and being part of something
truly pioneering – a revolution in stem cell science and medicine –
but ultimately it came down to a choice between CIRM and a life
including my family.”

“Alan has been a remarkable leader of
the agency for almost six years,” says Jonathan Thomas, PhD, JD,
Chair of the Board. “He has led us through some challenging times,
been the driving force behind some truly innovative ideas – such as
the Bridges and Creativity Training Programs, the Alpha Clinic model
for delivering new therapies to patients, a stem cell genomics
program and an iPS cell bank for interrogating the cause and
developing new treatments for really serious and complex diseases.
He has helped establish us as a world leader in the field of stem
cell research. We are truly grateful for his vision, his expertise
and his leadership. He has created a legacy which he can be proud
of.”

Dr.
Trounson joined CIRM in late 2007 after serving as Professor
of Stem Cell Sciences and Founding Director of the Monash Immunology
and Stem Cell Laboratories at Monash University in Melbourne,
Australia. He also founded the National Biotechnology Centre of
Excellence – more commonly called the ‘Australian Stem Cell
Centre’, co-founded the Monash Institute for Reproduction and
Development – and was a pioneer in the development of human in
vitro fertilization (IVF).

"Since
joining CIRM in 2007, Alan has helped transform not only this agency
but the entire field of stem cell research," says Sherry
Lansing, Cancer Patient Advocate and longtime Chair of the Board's
Governance Subcommittee. "Alan has instilled a sense of urgency
in our core mission -- funding research that is leading to faster
clinical trials of treatments for deadly diseases."

Jeff
Sheehy, another longtime Board member and a Patient Advocate for HIV
says; "Alan has been an irresistible force in moving stem cell
therapies into the clinic and, as a patient advocate, I am deeply
grateful to him for his relentless determination. One of the
key features of his extraordinary leadership over the last six years
has been his ability to achieve one of the seminal visions embedded
in Proposition 71, the seamless integration of patients, industry and
researchers into a harmonious, synergistic union. We are much,
much closer to cures, thanks to his efforts."

“It’s
been an amazing time, working with some of the most dedicated people
and inspirational individuals,” says Dr. Trounson. “I feel both
fortunate and honored to have been part of something that is
transforming the face of medicine, and part of an organization that
is helping lead the world in that transformation. I have been
privileged to work with some very special colleagues at CIRM and I
know their expertise, professionalism and dedication will be a
tremendous resource for my successor.”

About CIRM:
CIRM was established in November 2004 with the passage of Proposition
71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act. The statewide
ballot measure, which provided $3 billion in funding for stem cell
research at California universities and research institutions, was
overwhelmingly approved by voters, and called for the establishment
of an entity to make grants and provide loans for stem cell research,
research facilities, and other vital research.

About Me

The California Stem Cell Report is the only nongovernmental website devoted solely to the $3 billion California stem cell agency. The report is published by David Jensen, who worked for 22 years for The Sacramento Bee in a variety of editing positions, including executive business editor and special projects editor. He was the primary editor on the 1992 Pulitzer Prize-winning series, "The Monkey Wars" by Deborah Blum, which dealt with opposition to research on primates. Jensen served as a press aide in the 1974 campaign and first administration of Gov. Jerry Brown. (Time served: two years and one week.) He writes from his sailboat on the west coast of Mexico with occasional visits to land. Jensen began writing about the stem cell agency in 2005, noting that it is an unprecedented effort that uniquely combines big science, big business, big academia, big politics, religion, ethics and morality as well as life and death. The California Stem Cell Report has been identified as one of the best stem cell sites on the Internet. Its readership includes the media (both mainstream and science), a wide range of academic/research institutions globally, the NIH and California policy makers.